Latch handle assembly for washing machine drums, etc.



Dec. 6, 1949 M. M. PlLTZ 2,490,707

LATCH HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR WASHING MACHINE DRUMS ETC Filed Aug. 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

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q r m Patented Dec. 6, 1 949 LATCH HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR WASHING MACHINE DRUMS, ETC.

Michael M. Piltz, Halifax, Pa.

Application August 1, 1946, serial No. 687,567

3 Claims.

This invention relates to washing machines and more particularly to that type including a stationary outer shell or drum and an inner rotary cylindrical shell or drum, the latter usually having a slidable segmental plate-like arcuate door over an. opening in the cylindrical wall thereof, which is normally kept closed during operation of the machine and is opened from time to timeduring. periods of rest of the inner shell or drum, and, for this reason, specially arranged latching means is desirable and usually provided in machines of said character. It has more particularly to do with latching means for releasably locking the arcuate sliding door of the rotary innershell or drum in either its opened or closed; portion, with a novel provision and arrangement for automatically disengaging the latch'element from its keeper element by a'movement ofa releasing lever element in either the direction or opening or closing movement of the slidingdoor.

Arrimportant object is to simplify and make practical a latching means for the foregoing purposes in particular.

Other objects and advantages to be attained will hereinafter more fully appear in the following description.

A practical but non-limiting exemplitication of the invention is illustrated-in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, more or less schematic in character and in partial side elevation and partial section, showing the door for the stationar outer shell-r drum in open position and the door for the rotary inner shell or drum in closed position, the latter being viewed through the open outer door;

Figure 2 is a transverse section of the showing in'Figure l;

- Figure 3 is an enlarged face view of a latch assembly detached from the door;

Figure 4 is a section through the latch bolt, on the lined- 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 'Figure 6 is a section on the line 6% of Figure 3;

Figure '7 isan elevational view of the retainer lever arm detached; and

Figure 8 is an elevational view of the main lever element detached.

*Refe'rrlng now to the drawings in detail, the numeral iil'designates, generally the stationary outer shell or'drum of a conventional washing machine, and ii the rotary inner shell thereof.

iii

2 As shown, both shells or drums l0 and H are of the cylindrical kind. The outer shell has the heads l2 at its opposite ends, said head being supported on the usual end frames or standards i3. The inner shell or drum is mounted axially and rotatably on the heads 12, as at I4, and rotation is imported to the inner shell or drum in any conventional manner (not shown). In all other respects, except as to the door latching means to be presently described more fully in detail, the washing machine construction arrangement and operation is conventional.

The outer shell or drum in is provided with the usual door opening i5 and closed in regularuse of the machine bya suitable door l6,-either-one of the sliding type; as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, or, obviously, of another kind, such as a swinging hinged type. However, as far as the present invention is concerned, this door i6-as well as another door I1 for a similar opening H3 in the inner shell or drum II, is preferably of a sliding type. So, too, the-outer door it maybe provided, butnot necessarily so, with latching means substantially like latching means to be now more particularly described for use on the inner door l1. While such latching means for the outer door is discretionary the same is essential for use on the inner door in accordance with the present invention.

As shown more or less schematically in Figures 1 and 2, the inner shell or drum door I! is provided with two cooperatively opposed latch elements, each designated generally by the numeral l9 and comprising a normally spring-urged bolt 20, which latter, in the closed position of the door, engages in a lower keeper element 2|, and, in the open position of the door, engages likewise in an upper opposed keeper 22 (see Figures 1 and 2).

The latch element i9, which is an important feature of the invention, is illustrated more fully in detail and on an enlarged scale in Figures 3 through 8 of the drawings. Its construction and arrangement is such that it is conveniently made and readily applied to the door or doors of the washing machine, and, when applied in use, not only does the latch bolt 20 (hereinafter more fully described in detail) readily self-engagein the keeper elementZl or 22, as the case may be, but the operating lever arrangement is such that the latch bolt is automatically disengaged from the keeper element by grasping a particularly provided lever member and then moving the door in the opening or closing direction of movement thereof as will be presently more fully described.

As shown more clearly in Figures 3 through'8,

the unitary latch element l3 includes the aforesaid Sliding bolt which, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, is slidably mounted in guide brackets 23 and 24. These brackets 23 and 24, as shown, are preferably either welded to or formed integral with a body plate 25 having an upstanding, right-angular, marginal flange 25.

The bracket 23 has a smooth bore therein through which the forward portion of the latch bolt 20 is freely slidable. The other bracket 24 has a T-head somewhat longer than the width of the first-mentioned bracket 23 and said T- head is internally screw-threaded, as at 21, to receive a correspondingly threaded abutment plug 28 (see Figure 4). Said screw-threaded bore 21 is of large enough diameter to receive the inner end portion of the latch bolt 20 freely slidable therein, and said inner end portion of the bolt has an axial bore 29 providing an elongated seat for a spring element 30 abutting the plug element 28 and normally urging the bolt forwardly so as to engage one of the aforesaid keepers 2| or 22. In this connection, it is noted that the forward end portion of the latch bolt 20 is tapered, as at 3|, so that the same, obviously, more readily enters a keeper element. By adjusting the abutment plug 28 inward and outward in the bore 21 of the bearing 24 the tension and reactive force of the spring element 30 may be varied.

The spring-urged latch bolt 20 is under the control and operated by a main lever member 32 which is pivotally mounted on a stud or stubshaft 33, extending up from the body plate 25. This lever member 32 has a downwardly offset arm 34 provided with an upstanding stud or pin member 35 which is projected into a transverse slot 36 formed in the underside of the latch bolt 23. As the bolt 20 is urged forwardly by the spring element 30 the slot-and-pin connection between the bolt and the lever arm 34 causes a swinging movement of the lever member 32 on the pivot stud 33, which movement is stopped by the arm 34 coming against a stud or stop pin 31 extending up from the body plate 25 (see Figure 3) At this time the tapered forward end portion 3! of the bolt 20 is in its projected keeper engaging position.

To move the latch bolt 20 out of its keeper engaging position, the lever 32 is rocked in the opposite direction its pivot stud 33, which latter movement is efiected by grasping and manipulating an integral, projecting tail extension 38 extending substantially diametrically opposite to the aforesaid arm 34, this extension 38 preferably having a hooked -end portion 39 (see Figure 3). The normal angularity of this lever member 32 as thus described is such that, when a pushing force in the direction transversely away from the latch bolt 20 is applied to the laterally hooked portion 33 of the lever extension 38, which direction is the same as the closing movement of the door IT (or the door l6 if the latch is applied thereto) the lever member 32 is first rocked on its pivot stud 33 to thereby retract the latch bolt 20 and disengage the same from its keeper member (at this time the member 22) and a continued pressure on the hooked arm 38 causes the door to slide from open to closed position.

To unlatch the door I! (or the door iii if the latch of the present invention is applied thereto) and move the door to open position, an additional lever arm 40 is provided on the lever member 32. This additional lever arm 40 which is especially detachably mounted upon and fixed to the lever member 32 in a manner to be later described in detail and constituting an essential part of the present invention, is disposed in a normal angular working relation to the main lever member 32 and its operating extension 38 so that a retractive movement of the latch bolt 20 from the keeper 2| and an after upward slidable opening movement of the door 11 or the door It, as the case may be, is effected by pushing the angular arm 40 in the direction towards the latch bolt 20, which movement of the arm 40 is just the reverse of the aforesaid movement of the lever extension 38 in closing the door.

As shown, the lever member 32 is provided at its hub portion with an axial socket 41 in which is snugly received a hub portion or boss 42 on the inner end of the arm 49. This hub portion or boss 42 has an axial bore 43 which is fitted rotatably on the pivot stud 33. Over the upper end of the hub or boss portion 42 of the lever arm 40 and marginally overlapping the adjacent hub portion of the lever member 32 is a retaining washer 44 which is held in place by a cotter pin 45. Thus, the applied additional arm 40 is fixedly attached to move by and with the main lever member 32.

As a more stable and positive attachment of the arm 40 to the lever member 32, a set-screw 46 may be provided on the member 32 to lockingly engage the hub or boss portion 42 of the arm 40, that is to say, within a recess 41 in the portion 42 of said arm 40 but not the pivot stud 33 on which the so engaged parts 32 and 40 together rotate.

The pivot stud 33 may be formed or provided in any suitable manner on the body plate 25.

' As shown, the stud has-an enlarged and externally screw-threaded lower portion 48 and a polygonal head 49 at its extreme end, said screwthreaded enlargement being inserted through an aperture provided therefor in the plate 25 with a washer 53 interposed between the head and plate (see Figures 5 and 6). Sleeved over the enlarged portion 48 of the stud 33 and preferably welded, as at 5|, is a heavy Washer 52 which is also screw-threaded internally to fit the threads on the part 48 of the stud. The stud 33 is thus rigidly attached to the plate 25.

In order to more firmly secure the stud 33 to the plate 25, a conventional lock-type washer 53, is placed around the screw-threaded enlargement 4B of the stud and then clamped by a jam nut 54. The engaged hub portions of the main lever member 32 and the additional arm 40 rotate supportedly on this jam nut 54 if applied as just above described on the stud 33, or, obviously, an equivalent shoulder on the stud 33 if the latter is otherwise provided and secured on the body plate 25.

By the foregoing described construction and arrangement of the latch element unit l9, the attachment between the main lever member 32 and the additional operating arm 43 is solid and stable, yet the parts are readily assemblable and detachable at will. At the same time the assembled lever parts are held in place on the pivot stud 33 by the washer 44 and cotter pin 45. The same is also easily swingable on the pivot stud 33 either by operative manipulation of the lever assembly or by the reaction of the spring element 30. So, too, it is clearly apparent that the selected manipulative movement of the lever unit assembly is conveniently in the direction of opening and closing movement of the sliding lid or door [6 or IT, as the case may be.

The illustrated exemplification is but one practical adaptation of the invention. Hence.

considerable modification and change is contemplated within the purview of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown.

What is claimed is:

1. A latch assembly of the character described, including a base plate having a flange formed along one side edge thereof, a slidable latch bolt carried by said flange and normally biased to projected position, said bolt having a socket facing toward said base plate, an outwardly extending pintle carried by the base plate in spaced relation to said bolt, an elongate latch bolt operating member having an opening intermediate its ends to receive said pintle, one end of said operating member having an upturned finger for engaging Within said socket, the opposite end of said bolt operating member being formed to provide a hand-engaging part, a second latch bolt operating member having a sleeved end disposed over the pintle in interlocking relation with the first-named operating member and having its opposite end formed to provide a second hand engaging part angularly disposed with respect to the hand engaging part of the first-named operating member, and means for retaining said members on said pintle.

2. A latch assembly of the character described, in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first-named latch bolt operating member is formed with an outwardly facing channel extending through the wall defining said opening to receive a portion of the second-named operating member so as to prevent relative rotational movement between said operating members.

3. A latch assembly of the character described, in accordance with claim 1, wherein there is a locking pin extending through the first-named latch bolt operating member and engaging the second named operating member so as to prevent relative rotational and separative movement therebetween.

MICHAEL M. PILTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,564,472 Daly et a1. Dec. 8, 1925 1,783,447 Partlow Dec. 2, 1930 1,883,646 Ellis Oct. 18, 1932 2,082,921 Vetorino June 8, 1937 

